The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engine metal attack fighter in a low-wing configuration with classic plumage. The flight of the prototype took place in 1938, and serial production was carried out in 1938-1944. The last of the Hawk family, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was, apart from the Republic P-47 and the North American P-51 Mustang, the most common American fighter. By the time production ended in December 1944, the number of machines exceeded 15,000. Development of the design began in 1937, when the prototype version 75 airframe was adapted to install the Allison V-1710-11 inline engine with a capacity of 1,167 hp. The plane became the first American design capable of flying at a speed of more than 483 km/h. The RAF version was called the Tomahawk Mk IIA. The planes had self-sealing fuel tanks and two wing-mounted 7.7-mm machine guns. Tomahawk MkIIBs were equipped with American radio equipment and armed with six 7.7 mm machine guns. Some American P-40s were upgraded in 1941 for reconnaissance missions. They received the designation RP-40. Meanwhile, work continued on the Hawk 81-A at the Curtiss plant. Changes included the installation of an Allison V-1710-39 engine with a capacity of 1,167 km, which provides constant power up to an altitude of 3,563 meters, a device for mounting four 12.7 mm machine guns in the wing, and the installation of a fuselage assembly. which could carry one bomb weighing 227 kg or a dropped additional fuel tank. The US Army placed an order for these machines in September 1940, assigning them the designation P-40D. Over the next three years, Curtiss made every effort to expand the possibilities of the P-40, creating numerous new modifications of the aircraft. Despite these efforts, the Warhawk's performance was inferior to that of contemporary Allied and Axis fighters. Technical data (P-40E version): length: 9.66 m, wingspan: 11.38 m, height: 3.76 m, maximum speed: 580 km / h, rate of climb: 11 m / s, maximum range: 1100 km, practical ceiling: 8800 m, armament: stationary - 6 M2 machine guns, caliber 12.7 mm, suspended - up to 900 kg of cargo.
